The coal toll: A new study finds that the northern Chinese live an average of 5.5 years shorter than their countrymen to the south. Why? Coal pollution. The research looked at health and emissions data from 1981 to 2001 and predicts that the “500 million Chinese who live north of the Huai River will lose 2.5 billion years of life expectancy because of outdoor air pollution.” The scientists found that an increase in just 100 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter corresponded with a three-year drop in life expectancy. “It highlights that in developing countries there’s a trade-off in increasing incomes today and protecting public health and environmental quality,” says one researcher. “And it highlights the fact that the public health costs are larger than we had thought.” New York Times

A better biscuit: Palm oil is one of those insidious ingredients that pops up in cookies and crackers (and toothpaste and cosmetics and cleaning products...). But the seemingly innocuous oil, derived from the fruit of African palm trees, has led to rapid deforestation in Indonesia, Borneo, and Malaysia, where the palm oil industry is slashing and burning rainforests. But at least some companies are saying enough is enough. A survey found that the United Kingdom's leading biscuit (a.k.a. cookie) manufacturers are making major commitments to reduce the amount of palm oil in their biscuits. "Consumers may finally be assigning a higher value to planetary preservation than the cost of a Double Stuf Oreo." Well, British consumers anyway. The survey found that American companies performed the worst when it came to palm oil addiction.Modern Farmer

Chickening out: Sure every urban farmer loves a hot young chick, but what happens when aging hens stop laying eggs? Animal shelters from New York to Minnesota are reporting a surge in the number of abandoned backyard chickens left in their care. “Many areas with legalized hen-keeping are experiencing more and more of these birds coming in when they’re no longer wanted,” says a spokesperson for the Humane Society. NBC News, Grist

Fracking fail: An explosion at a natural gas well in Doddridge County, West Virginia has injured at least five people. The incident and subsequent fire erupted during the “flow back” process when the drilling fluids used to release shale gas are pumped back into storage tanks. “We do not know the ignition source," said a representative of the company that operates the fracking site, "but we suspect it was a methane explosion.” We'd say that's a good guess. Huffington Post

DAILY DISTRACTIONS

Gone the way of the dodo and back: Though the skies once teemed with billions of passenger pigeons, the birds have been extinct since 1914, when the last of the species (a bird named Martha) died at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now a Harvard scientist has a plan to de-extinct the passenger pigeon, using DNA from preserved museum specimens combined with additional genetic material from a similar band-tailed pigeon. The team plans to raise the first generations of these pigeons in captivity, and then ultimately return the birds to the wild. But this troubles conservationists who say “much of [the birds’] breeding and wintering habitat is gone.” Washington Post

Shitake shack: In Green Island, New York, a design company has built a compact wooden bungalow that is insulated with mushrooms. With demand already booming for the company's compostable packaging made of agricultural waste and mycelium (that’s mushroom roots), Ecovative Design is adding building materials to its roster. First up? A fungus-based insulation. Unlike conventional loose fill insulation, the mushroom stuff doesn’t settle at the top of walls, giving it longer lasting effectiveness, and while it’s fire resistant, it doesn’t contain toxic flame retardants. "The aim is to replace all plastic foams anywhere we can," says a company rep. "We really believe that will be possible." Fast Company

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